Na'vi
The Na'vi are a race of sentient extraterrestrial humanoids who inhabit the lush jungle moon of Pandora. Humans are known to refer to them as "Blues", "Savages" or "the locals". Description ]]On the whole, the Na'vi are quite similar to humans, both in appearance and anatomically. They are, however, much larger and typically stronger than humans. Na'vi are normally about 3 meters in height. This may be in part due to Pandora's lower gravity than Earth, which, after time will cause a person to "get soft" (as Colonel Quaritch put it), and, pound for pound, they are probably weaker than humans. Their skeletons are reinforced with naturally occurring carbon fiber, making their bones extremely rigid and hard to bend-(but they easily crack under focused pressure). Their hands are graceful, with three very long fingers, and one opposable thumb. However, it should be noted that human-grown Na'vi (the Avatars) have four main fingers in addition to the opposable thumb just as in the human hand. The faces have high cheekbones and large yellow eyes, maybe twice the size of an average human's. When open they dominate the face, like those of a cat or lemur. The ears of the Na'vi are long and pointed and are able to swivel around much like that of a dog or a cat. The mouth is also large, but essentially human, with a faint cat-like bifurcation of the upper lip. The nose also faintly resembles that of a cat's, but this is only visible in close-ups. The teeth are white, with pronounced canines, upper and lower. The Na'vi species do obviously eat meat, but they are assumed to be generally omnivorous. The Na'vi have tails which are long and slightly prehensile, but more like the tail of a panther than a monkey. A complex pattern of iridescent dots and lines, perfectly symmetrical, runs over the body, seemingly following the lines of the nervous or circulatory system. These are bioluminescent chromatophores, and they glow in the dark like fireflies. The Na'vi can communicate with these, and in fact they are constantly shifting and changing color to indicate mood and emotion, without conscious control. The only hair they have can be found on their heads and the ends of their tails. For a young Na'vi to become "One of the people" they must learn the traditional social and cultural norms of the people to gain true acceptance. Being able to kill an animal cleanly, learning to ride a Direhorse etc appear to be part of the series of tasks needed for a second birth, becoming one of the people. It is believed that both male and female Na'vi complete these tasks to be born again. Little apparel is worn by the Na'vi of Pandora. Cloth, most likely woven from native flora of the planet is the basic garment worn by all Na'vi. It is possible that very little clothing is worn by the Na'vi because it is simply what is needed for the Na'vi to work and live taking minimally from the environment. Clothes appear to also show the ranking of one's importance in the hierarchy of a clan, either by the use of interesting or precious materials in comparison to a simple clothing piece worn by a normal clan member. Nervous System Na'vi have a queue, originating at the back of the head and hanging down almost to the waist. This is in fact not hair, but an external bundle of nerve endings that allows them to tap into the collective, planetary psionic emanations of Eywa, enabling them to "commune" with the planet's flora and fauna. While not adding to intelligence, it enables them to share a deep connection and even communicate telepathically with the tree of souls, and any animals with a similar nerve cluster. The Na'vi call it Tsahaylu, or "the bond". When two Pandoran organisms with nerve clusters similar to this engage in Tsahaylu, they gain the ability to share memories and information, and the Na'vi have a special trait that allows them to use the mind-meld to feel as/what their mount does, be it a Banshee/Ikran or Direhorse/Pal'i. This trait is only negated during mating(see below). Background The Na'vi are naturally peaceful creatures that live in harmony and natural equilibrium with their surroundings, but they can become quite ferocious when it comes to combat. Culturally, they are comparable to Ancient African tribes, Native Americans, Australia's Indigenous People as well as elves from Earth's folklore. The Na'vi hold a respect for their surrounding environment and creatures, taking only what is needed and not spoiling it. As each living thing on Pandora shares a collective "energy" with Eywa, anything hunted, must be given respect for this connection. From a human's perspective, the Na'vi are seen as very primitive in terms of technology but, due to their great size and strength they are more physically capable and more cunning in their jungle environment. When the Human race begins to search Pandora for valuable minerals, the Na'vi's existence is threatened. Mating The Na'vi are monogamous creatures who mate for life. The mechanics of reproduction in Na'vi are similar to that of humans and other Terran mammals. However, their unique physiology provides the Na'vi with a level of intimacy unknown to Earthborne creatures. Traditionally, once a Na'vi male has passed the tests on the path to manhood and has been accepted into the clan as an adult, he is not only allowed to make his bow from the wood of the Hometree, but he is also expected to choose his woman. After the woman has been chosen, the new couple are mated before Eywa. Cultural anthropologists believe that when an appropriate mate has been selected (which can take many years), the male and female Na'vi will connect queues, called Tsahaylu by the Na'vi, to create an emotional and spiritual bond that lasts a lifetime. The intertwining of queues is both highly erotic and profoundly spiritual, but does not in itself lead to reproduction. Jake Sully chooses Neytiri to become his mate, and she him, under the Tree of Voices following his acceptance into the Omaticaya clan as 'One of the People'. It is known that, once Tsahaylu is made between the couple, the ultimate in intamacy, or pleasure that is unfathomable to humans, causes the somewhat unwillful sharing of the couple's good memories, and is a sign of Eywa's acceptance. If a couple can be forseen to not have a pleasant or happy future, Eywa has been known to reverse the feeling produced by making Tsahaylu, a sign to the couple that mating would only, in simple words, ruin their lives together, and therefore prevents the mating, because of it's life-long span. After the resulting embracing and, occasionally, kissing, the couple is sent to sleep by Eywa, and the two dream hintings of their future together. The couple will experience the pleasure of Tsahaylu from the moment of connection, until they awaken and have completed mating, when they disconnect and return to the clan, mated for life. Category:Avatar Category:Na'vi Category:Species Category:Pandora